General Dietary Information

We try to provide healthy, well rounded meals on all our trips. We are aware that some people have special dietary requirements, sometimes even severe or life-threatening allergies. If this is the case we ask that you strongly consider if a multi-day rafting trip is a suitable trip for your dietary needs. All our meals are served buffet-style, which makes accommodating strict dietary requests extremely difficult. Also, due to the unique wilderness style adventure our rafts have space limitations to bring additional items.

Below we have listed our standard meal service and the types of dietary needs we can accommodate. If you are comfortable with this meal plan and have a few extra dietary needs you may supplement with some of your own food/snacks, as long as it does not require refrigeration or cooking. All cooking must be done by our guides who hold a food handlers permit.

Severe Allergies

It is important for you to describe to us the exact details of any allergies you may have, including symptoms and severity. We want to make sure you are familiar with what we can and can’t do for you in a wilderness setting. Also, if you have a severe allergy you will need to bring at least two Epi-pens on your trip. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact our office at 1-800-453-9107. If you have an allergy which may cause difficulty breathing, anaphylaxis or other severe and life-threatening reactions; please read the following points carefully.

• We cannot guarantee that any of our products are free from allergens (including dairy, eggs, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and other allergens) as we use shared equipment to store, prepare and serve them. All reasonable efforts will be made to avoid cross contamination.
• Peanut butter will be served on a separate table with disposable utensils. Guests with severe allergies may go through the line first, before cross contamination may occur.
• We do not remove an ingredient from a trip when a guest has an allergy to the ingredient.
• You are welcome in the kitchen during meal preparation to read food labels and check if you are allergic to any meal items.

Gluten Free

Tour West provides gluten free alternatives for many items as long as this dietary requirement has been given to us at least one month prior to trip departure. Please see the list below and compare it with the standard meals for your trip. If you feel that this will not be sufficient, you are welcome to bring additional options. Your guides will store any food that you bring but will not be able to prepare it for you due to limitations of the kitchen facilities. The backcountry often does not provide ideal conditions to avoid cross contamination. All reasonable efforts will be made to keep foods separate but if your sensitivity is severe, we may not be able to accommodate you.

Gluten free alternatives:

• Gluten free bread- Replaces lunch bread, garlic bread, toast and english muffins
• Gluten free pasta- Replaces pasta dinner
• Gluten free pancakes- Replaces regular pancakes
• Gluten free hamburger buns- Replace hamburger buns
• Gluten free bagels- Replace bagels
• Gluten free snack bars- Replace snacks containing gluten

Vegan/Vegetarian

Tour West can provide vegetarian/vegan alternatives for many items. We carry plant or nut based milk on all trips. Dietary menu requests must be made at least one month in advance. Please see the list below and compare it with the standard meals for your trip. If you feel that this will not be sufficient, you are welcome to bring additional options. Your guides will store any food that you bring but will not be able to prepare it for you due to limitations of the kitchen facilities such as the number of pots and burners.

Alternative menu items are as follows:

Garden Burgers, Impossible burgers, Black Bean Burgers, Tofu, Tempe, or a Portobello mushroom will be provided to replace steak, chicken or pork for those with vegetarian preferences.

Vegetarian pasta sauce- with fresh vegetables including squash and zucchini, Replaces the meat sauce Peanut butter, Hummus, Almond butter and Nutella are always available at lunch. Whenever possible meat will be served separately from other items to maximize options for vegetarian guests.

Plant based proteins are now taken on all trips that have vegan diets. There is a wide selection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner plant based protein substitutes that work well for vegan diets.

Dairy

Many of our meals have alternative options for avoiding dairy. Depending on your sensitivity, make sure to consult with your guides, and to review the labels of the brands that are on your trip. Because of the remote location of our warehouse, we source products from different vendors each week. We generally avoid cooking with butter, and your guides will be happy to accommodate this if you check with them the first day of the trip. Items to watch and avoid are:

Most of the cake and muffin mixes contain dairy or whey.

Some of our breads contain whey, but many do not.

Several desserts are cakelike products which contain dairy.

Some of our snacks.

If you are highly sensitive, we strongly advise that you bring supplemental snacks, desserts, and other foods to make sure you have adequate products to eat. We always have fresh fruits and vegetables available, but with the additional energy expended during an active trip like this, it is important to have an ample supply of alternative products you are comfortable ingesting, primarily snacks and desserts.

We hope that this will help you plan accordingly and that you have a great trip with us!

Breakfasts all breakfasts include fresh fruit, OJ, tea and coffee

Blueberry pancakes, bacon

Breakfast burritos or scramble

French toast, sausage

Omelets with Ham

Served on 3 night and 8 night trips:

Egg Muffins, Canadian Bacon, English muffins

Eggs to Order, Bacon

Lunch

Includes peanut butter and jelly, fresh fruit, chips, cookies and a variety of condiments.

• Lunch meats (turkey, ham, pastrami and roast beef), assorted breads, assorted cheeses, lettuce, tomato, pickles, olives and red onion. (served multiple times)
• Tuna Salad
• Chicken Salad Served on 3 night and 8 night trips:
• Tuna Salad
• Lunch meats

Dinners

• Burgers & Brats, baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw
• BBQ Chicken with steamed veggies and fresh fruit salad
• Pasta, green salad, garlic bread, fruit
• Pork chops, stuffing, fresh green beans, applesauce
• Steak, potatoes, mushrooms, sauteed onions, green salad Served on 3 and 8 night trips:
• Asian Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice
• Steak, potatoes, mushrooms, sauteed onions, green salad

Appetizers (depending on trip you will be served some but not all)

Chips and Veggie Plate w/dips, Nuts and Chex Mix, Olive & Pickle Tray, fancy cheese, smoked oysters & Crackers,, Apples w/Brie & Carmel, Guacamole & Chips/Salsa, Veggie Tray w/Hummus.,Salami, fancy cheese & Crackers, Shrimp cocktail w/cream cheese and cocktail sauce, fresh watermelon Deserts (depending on trip you will be served some but not all)

Dutch oven baked cakes/brownies, prefab carrot cake, pineapple upside down cake,

Fruit and biscotti, Pudding, fancy chocolate, fancy cookies, cheesecake, smores

Snacks may include: trail mix, granola bars, Pub Mix (Salty) Chex mix, candy bars and assorted nuts. Assorted Dried Fruits,. Granny Smith Apple or Navel Orange, Several Gluten free and vegan options now available every day on every trip.

We are also able to accommodate people with disabilities, as well as groups of special populations. Please contact us for pricing and specific questions.

In turn, this money is awarded in the form of grants to other non-profit conservation groups and those working to provide access to backcountry outdoor experiences for those with physical and socioeconomic challenges. The Grand Canyon Conservation Fund does not award grants to individuals or for-profit corporations.

The Grand Canyon Conservation Fund is managed wholly by volunteers. Administrative costs are less than two-tenths of one percent per year. That means over 99.8% of all donations go directly to protecting and conserving the Grand Canyon and providing access to those who would not otherwise have the opportunity to share in the Grand Canyon river experience.

All donations made to the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund are fully tax deductible as charitable giving. Internal Revenue Service documents granting the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund its tax exempt status as a non-profit public charity are available for public inspection at 119 E. Terrace Avenue, Suite A, Flagstaff, Arizona, during normal business hours.